More Land for Sale

In recent days, Gossips has reported on the City's land swap with HCDPA and HCDPA's possible sale of all its property and the actual sale of 213 Columbia and 214 Prison Alley. Now there's more land for sale, and the City, it seems, is being viewed as a potential buyer. The land in question is three parcels on the north side of Strawberry Alley, which runs behind Robinson Street. The County is looking to sell the three parcels and is offering them to the City of Hudson before they are auctioned off. There's a story behind how the County came to own the land, but it's not entirely clear why it still does.

Once upon a time, these parcels belonged to the Hudson School District, decades before the consolidation that created the Hudson City School District in 1966. They were part of the grounds of the Charles Williams School, which opened in 1924. 

The building ceased being used as an elementary school in 1970, a little more than a decade after John L. Edwards Elementary School was built, and in the late 1970s, Columbia County started using the building as an office building. The Sheriff's Department, the Planning Department, the Health Department, the Office for the Aging, and the Mental Health Department all were located there. Signage that still exists indicates that the parcels now for sale were used for parking when the building was a county office building.

In 2003, ownership of the school building was transferred from the County to the City of Hudson. The County needed a parcel of City-owned land in the 300 block of Columbia Street in order to build its new office building at 325 Columbia Street, so the City took ownership of the school in exchange for the land on Columbia Street. For reasons unknown, the three parcels on Strawberry Alley were not part of the swap, although a fourth parcel closer to the school building, on which there is a garage structure, was conveyed to the City. 

In 2011, when the City sold the school to Steven Johnson and Walter Sudol, who established the Second Ward Foundation there, it retained ownership of the parcel where the garage is. It is not known if the City actually uses the garage for any purpose. Now the County wants to sell the three parcels west of the garage and is looking to the City as a potential buyer.

Dunworth Mews, Notting Hill, London|Wikipedia

Given the current interest in promoting infill housing and developing new housing on vacant or underused sites within residential areas, these three lots might be the perfect place to create a little row of houses whose design would mimic that of a mews. How charming would it be to have an address on Strawberry Alley? The people in the neighborhood might not be very enthusiastic about it, though, since they seem to have claimed these lots as a parking and vehicle storage area.  

Photo: Linda Mussmann

Photo: Linda Mussmann

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Not to Be Missed

Yesterday, Brownstoner published an article about our own beloved National Historic Landmark: "From Ruin to Restoration: Saving the Picturesque Legacy of Hudson's Dr. Oliver Bronson House."

Photo: Susan De Vries|Brownstoner

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Change on the HPC

Yesterday's Historic Preservation Commission meeting was the last for David Voorhees, who has served on the commission for twelve years, during some of those years as its chair and for most of them as the historian member of the commission. At the end of yesterday's meeting, Mayor Rick Rector commended Voorhees for his years of service on the HPC, saying Voorhees could be proud, driving up and down the streets of Hudson, of the good work he has done in preserving the city's architectural heritage and historic character. Rector indicated he had begged Voorhees to stay on the commission for another term, but Voorhees declined. Responding, Voorhees explained, "It's time for me to move on. I have my institute [Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History], and I want to devote my whole time to that."

As someone who has been watching the Historic Preservation Commission from its beginning, first as concerned citizen and since 2010 as The Gossips of Rivertown, I too wish to commend and express my gratitude for the knowledge and uncompromising judgment Voorhees brought to the HPC.
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Has Hudson Outgrown Alphabet Soup?

The relevance of the two alphabet soup agencies, HDC and HCDPA (Hudson Development Corporation and Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency respectively), which originated during those thrilling days of Urban Renewal, is increasingly being questioned. In May, Common Council president Tom DePietro, who is ex officio a member of the HDC board, called HDC a "quasi-agency" and asked city attorney Andy Howard to "look into how does one get rid of an LDC." What provoked this was HDC's handling of the redevelopment of the Kaz site, which was perceived to lack transparency. 

Since then, the Kaz project has stalled, four members of the HDC board resigned, the board was advised not to enter into a contract to buy a parcel of land from CSX--a parcel needed to give the Kaz site access to Front Street--because of contamination, new board members have been interviewed but only one new appointment has been made public, and it was proposed that the management of HDC be handled by CEDC (Columbia Economic Development Corporation) until a replacement for executive director Sheena Salvino is found. (Salvino announced her resignation at the end of March. Her last day is August 3.) In the midst of this all, an HDC board meeting that was supposed to take place this past Tuesday was canceled and no new meeting was scheduled. The next regular meeting of HDC is scheduled for Tuesday, August 28, at noon.

Yesterday, the other alphabet soup agency, HCDPA, held its last meeting before Salvino's departure. Unlike the HDC board which has only two ex officio members (the mayor and the Common Council president), all the members of the HCDPA board serve ex officio. They are the mayor (Rick Rector), Common Council majority leader (Tiffany Garriga) and minority leader (Eileen Halloran), Planning Board chair (Walter Chatham), and Hudson Housing Authority board chair (Alan Weaver). 

After some discussion of the agency's financial state, its shared services agreement with HDC, and the recent appraisals done on the land owned by HCDPA, Chatham, who chairs the HCDPA board, declared, "If we're broke, we have this property, we have no means to move forward, why not sell it all?" "This property" consists of vacant lots at 202, 204, and 206 Columbia Street (what remains of the community garden), 238 Columbia Street, 2 through 12 State Street, and 4 Warren Street, half of which was acquired from the City of Hudson earlier this week through a land swap.

202, 204, and 206 Columbia Street

238 Columbia Street

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 State Street

4 Warren Street

DePietro, who does not sit on the HCDPA board but was present at the meeting, reacted to Chatham's suggestion by asking, "If you sell off all the property, how are you going to enact all these good ideas?" He was referring, presumably, to the recommendations in the recently adopted Strategic Housing Action Plan. Chatham responded by saying that HCDPA was "land rich and cash poor." He went on to say, "We have no way of operating. We don't own enough to make a difference."

After more discussion, during which Rector said he wanted properties back on the tax rolls and Salvino clarified that HDC was about creating jobs and HCDPA was about affordable housing, Chatham made a motion that the board "seriously consider selling off the property and asking the city attorney to investigate the dissolution of HCDPA." Salvino said she had misgivings about dissolving the agency, warning, "If you get rid of the agency altogether, it would take so much to get it going again." She suggested that HCDPA might be "put to sleep" or "mothballed." Chatham hailed the notion of mothballing as "brilliant." 

DePietro, who has called for the dissolution of HDC and the strengthening of HCDPA, protested, "No one wanted to shut down HDC." He asked the board, "So you're actually considering shutting down a government agency that is all about low- and moderate-income housing?" Chatham noted that HCDPA "facilitates. It does not create." (In the past quarter century, that facilitation seems to have amounted to selling vacant land at four locations along Columbia Street to Columbia County Habitat for Humanity for the construction of eight single-family houses.) Weaver asked DePietro, "We have low-income housing. Where do you see creating more?" Weaver went on say that Hudson Housing Authority was "on schedule" to create 60 to 80 new units and to rehab the low-rise units that are part of the Bliss Towers complex.

The original motion by Chatham was never seconded. In the end, Rector moved that the board invite the city attorney to the next meeting to discuss HCDPA. That motion was seconded, voted on, and passed. Chatham then reiterated, "The agency is broke, we don't have much of a track record, and the political climate does not favor this type of agency." It was noted that the Strategic Housing Action Plan recommends having a housing commissioner and that office could take over the role of HCDPA.  

Ten minutes after the regular meeting of the HCDPA board was adjourned, a special meeting was called to order. The meeting was for the purpose of opening the sealed bids for 213 Columbia Street and 214 Prison Alley. There was only one bid for this narrow strip of land, received from Shanan Magee. The minimum bid set in the invitation to bid was $20,000. Magee's bid was $31,110. Chatham moved to accept the bid; Weaver seconded; it was unanimously approved. According to the city's current zoning, this parcel of land is too small for anything to be built on it. Magee acquired the adjacent property, 209-211 Columbia Street, in December 2016 and has since built a new house there. He intends to establish a community garden on the parcel acquired from HCDPA.
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If You Plan to Venture South or West . . .

Bill Williams of 98.5 The Cat is announcing on Facebook that work on the roundabout at the intersection of Routes 9G and 23 will begin on Monday, July 30.

Construction will continue for several months, with the expected completion of the project in December. The published objectives of the roundabout are:

• Correct safety deficiencies using cost-effective accident reduction measures
• Provide a pedestrian connection between the Rip Van Winkle bridge and Olana to reduce the need for pedestrians to cross high speed traffic highway lanes.
• Increase recreational parking.

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In Memoriam: Cyndy Hall

The sad news was shared earlier today that Cyndy Hall died last night. I knew Cyndy only as the chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee. She was indomitable and indefatigable, able to persuade you, in the most powerful yet unintimidating way, to do things that you really didn't want to do--like carrying petitions or canvassing your neighborhood for Democratic candidates you didn't know much about or marching with the Columbia County Democrats in the Flag Day Parade. The picture below of Cyndy was taken in 2014 when I was, at her urging, marching in the Flag Day Parade.

This afternoon, Enid Futterman published a lovely tribute to Cyndy on imby.com, but the tribute I want most to share is one posted on Facebook by Charlie Ferrusi, and with his permission I do so. It reminds us that Cyndy was for thirty-seven years a music teacher in the Hudson City School District:

Cyndy Hall, my beloved middle school music teacher, who I later learned was a fierce Democratic leader and progressive activist, has passed away. I remember when my friends and I used to call her home phone growing up when we were about 11-14 years old, just to chat about life. There would be up to five of us (Christine, Marissa, Emily, Catherine) calling her. I can still remember her home phone number. She was a friend, teacher, leader, role model, and had the most uplifting spirit. I am so grateful for people like Ms. Hall, who fought like hell to make Columbia County a better place for kids like me.

To quote another of her students, Justin Weaver: "Rest in peace, dear, sweet Cyndy Hall. You taught us all Dona Nobis Pacem as our beloved music teacher. . . . Fly high with the chorus of Angels now."

A memorial service for Cyndy will be held at Bates & Anderson Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, 110 Green Street in Hudson, on Saturday, August 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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How Buildings Survive

In 2010, Gossips published its "Gellert Gallery," a pictorial inventory of all the buildings in Hudson that were at the time part of Phil Gellert's "Northern Empire." Since that time, Gellert has been selling some of his properties in Hudson, and from time to time, I like to report on how the buildings are faring with their new owners. The news recently that 514 State Street has a new owner and is to be rehabbed provides the occasion to review the fate of other former Gellert buildings.

514 State Street

The first building featured in our 2010 inventory was 451 State Street.

In 2015, the house was purchased by someone who cleaned out the interior and began fixing it up but eighteen months later sold it to an LLC. Even though there are historic images that show how the house was meant to look, the house is now being completely reimagined.

451 State Street appears in this early 20th-century photograph of the cannon at the Hudson Armory

First, the inappropriate 1950s picture windows on the ground floor were replaced with equally inappropriate windows.

Now, the house is getting an elaborate front porch that it never had before, and all of the original hood molding on the second-floor windows has been stripped away.

Needless to say, this house is not in a historic district.

The next building in the 2010 inventory is 102-104 North Fifth Street.

From 1893 until the first hospital building on Prospect Avenue was constructed in 1900, this house, "properly prepared for hospital purposes," was the first Hudson City Hospital. Three years ago, this historic house acquired a new owner who meticulously restored it.

This house is located in a historic district.

The next house from the 2010 inventory is 339 State Street.

This modest vernacular house got a new owner a little more than a year ago and is now looking significantly better.

Another building that is enjoying a better life since it was acquired by new owners at the end of 2012 is 408-410 Warren Street.

The restoration of the storefront of this building uncovered all of the original millwork and detail.

Some buildings that have left the Northern Empire haven't fared as well. The building at 718-720 Union Street, believed to have been the stable for the Silas W. Tobey estate, was demolished by its new owner in February 2017.

At last report, the site was being marketed as "buildable land in Hudson's core commercial district."

Another building that once was but is no longer owned by Gellert is 432 Warren Street.

The building has had a new owner since 2014, but it is still waiting for someone to restore it to its former glory, as it appears in this photograph taken after the Blizzard of 1888.

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Meeting Cancellation

If anyone was planning to attend the Common Council Legal Committee meeting tonight, Gossips has received word that the meeting has been canceled.
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More News from the Greenport Planning Board

Last night, East Light Partners made an initial presentation of their proposed solar project to the Greenport Planning. What is planned is a 5-megawatt community solar project to be installed on Vapor Trail, beside Route 9, just over the border in Greenport and adjacent to the Dr. Oliver Bronson estate, which is both a National Historic Landmark and the grounds of the Hudson Correctional Facility.

Two approvals from the Greenport Planning Board are required. The first is to subdivide the open meadow from the wooded area at the back of thr tract. During the discussion of the subdivision, some interesting information emerged. Genevieve Trigg, attorney for the Greenport Planning Board, pointed out that there were deed restrictions that could be problematic for the proposal. Apparently, at some point in the recent past, probably around the time the factory, which is now Flanders, was built, there was thought that the whole area--once orchards--might be developed as an industrial park. Among the deed restrictions, as revealed during last night's discussion, are the requirements that any buildings proposed for the site be approved by an architectural review board and that all utility lines be underground. There is a question of whether the deed restrictions remain in place with the subdivision of the property. Toward the end of the meeting, Planning Board chair Ed Stiffler said, speaking of the deed restrictions and the solar project, "If the covenants aren't settled through subdivision, this goes away."

The second approval needed from the Greenport Planning Board is for the solar panel project itself. The discussion of the project started out with Stiffler chiding Jamie Fordyce and Wendy DeWolf, the East Light Partners, for holding an informational meeting at the Hudson Area Library without notifying any of the members of the Greenport Planning Board. He reminded them that Greenport, not Hudson, is the location of the project and the municipality from which they must get approval for their plans. 

The site for the project is 25 acres, and two arrays are proposed--one on either side of a wetland. Stiffler asked about PILOT negotiations, indicating that a PILOT agreement must be in place before the Planning Board can make a determination. What concerned the members of the Planning Board most were visual impacts. Fordyce indicated that National Grid is requiring the project to have six utility poles. Board member Robert MacGiffert told him, "The last solar field brought to the town gave us the same spiel," citing a solar project where one pole ended up being eleven poles. He warned, "Poles will be a big no-no for this project." Board member Paul D'Onofrio concurred, "We're not going to be burned twice." He alluded to the solar array behind Hudson High School, which evaded review by any planning board, and its impact on property owners in Greenport. Speaking of the possibility of poles at the proposed solar project being within the view of property owners, he predicted, "You're going to have one hell of a public hearing."

The applicants spoke of existing vegetation acting as a visual buffer, but the board wanted more screening--berms, trees, landscaping. Stiffler said he would "like to see screening wherever it's necessary to block the view of this." 

Ray Jurkowski, the consulting engineer for the Greenport Planning Board, asked if SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) had weighed in on the project, noting that it was in the viewshed of Olana, adjacent to the Dr. Oliver Bronson House, and across the street from the National Register listed Henry A. and Evanlina Dubois House. The applicants indicated they had met with representatives of Scenic Hudson, Historic Hudson, and Olana. Jurkowski asked for letters from Historic Hudson and Olana confirming this.

Jurkowski suggested that there be a technical meeting on site, which was agreed to but not scheduled. The review of the project will continue at the Greenport Planning Board's next meeting, to take place on Tuesday, August 28.
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Surprised by Good News in Greenport

Sometimes, when you least expect it, you learn something good. It happened to me tonight at the Greenport Planning Board.

At the beginning of the meeting, Planning Board chair Ed Stiffler announced that Greenport Land Partners (TRG) had asked that their project be deferred until August. The project in question is the new retail development to be located at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Healy Boulevard, with a new McDonald's as its centerpiece and a new location for Aldi's as its anchor. The development as proposed involves the demolition of the Gothic Revival house once known as "The Pines," which was the home of Joseph Farrand and later of his youngest son, Arthur, who helped to create the section of Hudson we now know as "the Boulevards" and the man-made, spring-fed Oakdale Lake.

Photo: Paul Barrett

Having said the project was deferred, Stiffler shared the good news. SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) has determined that the Gothic Revival house is eligible for listing in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. SHPO is asking TRG to incorporate the historic house into the design for the retail development. If they cannot do this, they must, in the words of Stiffler, "build a very strong case for demolishing it."

The Greenport Planning Board doesn't allow the public to speak until the end of the meeting, and, regrettably, by that time I didn't have the presence of mind to ask if the SHPO determination also applied to the little Gothic Revival structure--a cottage or some other kind of accessory building--located behind the current McDonald's. I suspect it doesn't, but I hope it does.
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Response from the Mayors

Linda Mussmann's Facebook post, in which she alleged that Mike Tucker "blamed the statement [in the DRI application] about the relationship of Colarusso and the city on the 'then Mayor'--Tiffany Martin Hamilton," prompted a response from Tucker, which Gossips has already published, and also a response from the former mayor, Tiffany Martin. Her statement appears below.

As former mayor of the City of Hudson, I was actively involved in the City's successful DRI grant application. Based upon recent public comments concerning the DRI grant application and certain statements contained therein, I feel it is necessary to clarify one particular statement in the DRI grant application that was made in error.

Specifically, a statement in the DRI application reads as follows:

"Though accommodating the operational growth of the business has been a challenge to address in terms of the impact on waterfront businesses and the environment, City officials and neighboring business owners support the expansion of Colarusso."

To the extent this statement suggests that the City and neighboring business owners support the expansion of Colarusso's business operations at the waterfront, it was in error. Rather, the statement should have made it clear that, while it has been a challenge to the City of Hudson to balance the competing needs of those involved in the business operations at the waterfront with environmental concerns, City officials and neighboring business owners recognize Colarusso's legal right to continue existing operations in compliance with local laws.

Tiffany Martin's statement was accompanied by a statement from the current mayor, Rick Rector, saying: "I have reviewed the statement from former mayor Tiffany Martin regarding the DRI application and am in agreement."
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Meeting Canceled

In the midst of all the brouhaha over how the administration of Hudson Development Corporation will be carried out until someone is hired to replace Sheena Salvino, Gossips just learned that the HDC meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. today has been canceled for want of a quorum. The meeting is to be rescheduled. When it is, Gossips will report that information.
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The Response from CEDC

Late last night, Gossips reported what Fourth Ward supervisor Linda Mussmann had posted on her Facebook page about the possibility that Mike Tucker, president of CEDC (Columbia Economic Development Corporation), might take Sheena Salvino's place at HDC (Hudson Development Corporation) and about Tucker's role in drafting the City's DRI application, which contained several controversial statements. This morning, Tucker, on behalf of CEDC, sent Gossips the following statement to clarify the situation and correct misconceptions.   

In an effort to provide transparency to the Board of Supervisors at its Economic Development Committee meeting, I reported that the Chair of the Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) had contacted me yesterday morning inquiring if Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) would be able to provide short-term administrative support services to HDC during the transition resulting from the departure of Sheena Salvino. I indicated to the Committee that neither the CEDC or HDC Boards had taken any action on the request. CEDC currently provides administrative services to the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency, Columbia County Resource Corporation and the City of Hudson Industrial Development Agency. I would not characterize the discussion as announcing that either CEDC or I are planning on "taking over" HDC, but simply reporting in an open forum that the request had been made.

Further, in response to a question from a Supervisor as to who was responsible for submitting the DRI application, I indicated that while CEDC and I participated in staff roles, the application was submitted by the Mayor on behalf of the City. I never denied CEDC's or my participation in drafting the DRI and I did not "blame" the former Mayor for any of its content.

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A Preview of What May Be Revealed Tomorrow

Tomorrow at 6 p.m., Hudson Development Corporation is holding its regular monthly meeting. In announcing this earlier today, Gossips speculated that information would be forthcoming at the meeting about how HDC was planning to move forward after the imminent departure of its executive director, Sheena Salvino. 

Tonight, while Gossips was at the Common Council Police Committee meeting, there was meeting of the Board of Supervisors Economic Development Committee at which HDC's announcement of its plans was preempted. Fourth Ward supervisor Linda Mussmann reports this on her Facebook page:

Tonight at the County Economic Committee Meeting it was announced that Mike Tucker/CEDC was planning on taking over Hudson Development Corporation--(HDC the author of the DRI application) for the City of Hudson--some of the language included in the application has caused a lot of controversy--the statement regarding the embracing of Colarusso in the Hudson waterfront--was for some--a false statement. When I said I had concerns because of Mr. Tucker's role in the writing of the DRI application and the inclusion of the false statement--he denied that he had anything to do with it and blamed the statement about the relationship of Colarusso and the city on the "then Mayor"--Tiffany Martin Hamilton.

Mussmann refers her Facebook readers to this Gossips post from May 26: "The Origin of the Language."

If what Mussmann reports is true, this seems to be a very unwise move on the part of the beleaguered HDC Board if the goal is to regain the community's trust.
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Update: Mike Tucker issued a statement in response to what Mussmann reported. Click here to see that response.

Unconditional Love

MICROPOLITAN DIARY

Dear Diary,

The rain and an early morning run-in with the wretched trash bag vending machine in front of City Hall hadn't put me in the best of moods today, and this afternoon, while doing some errands, I muttered "Jackass!" at two people who, going the opposite direction, had gotten into my lane when I was trying to execute a left turn to go to PetSmart. (Of course, the windows were rolled up and the A/C was on, so the offending drivers had no notion of my displeasure, unless they were able to read lips.)

After our visit to PetSmart, we stopped at the little ice cream parlor on Fairview Avenue that doesn't appear to have a name. I hadn't had lunch, and Joey needed a treat, so I got a soft serve vanilla kiddie cone for us to share. The deal is I eat as much as I want, and then Joey gets the rest. But while I was still licking the fast-melting cone, Joey decided to join in. After that, it was all his.

Ice cream consumed, we headed back to Hudson. On the way, we stopped at Fairview Wines & Spirits for a bottle of wine. (Joey is always welcome there.) When we were leaving, the rain, which had been in remission since we had arrived at PetSmart, decided to come down in torrents. I thought about staying in the store to wait out the downpour, but decided against it. Instead Joey and I headed for the car.  

Once we were out of the rain, Joey, in his seat beside me in our tiny car, decided to shake himself, as dogs will do, and I, soaked to the skin for the second time today, got even wetter. My response was to laugh uncontrollably. That, in my opinion, is proof of the unconditional love our dogs teach us.

"Micropolitan Diary" is Gossips' homage to and blatant imitation of "Metropolitan Diary" in the New York Times. The term micropolitan was coined (by Gossips) because Hudson is a metropolis in microcosm.
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If You Missed It

Dan Udell documented yesterday's Mrs. Greenthumbs Day Garden Tour. To view the video, click here.

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

There's a meeting worth attending every day this week, and Tuesday appears to be the day when you might wish you could be two places at once.

Today, Monday, July 23, two Common Council committees meet. The Fire Committee meets at 5:30 p.m., and the Police Committee meets at 6 p.m. No agenda is available for either meeting, but there is always the possibility that at the Police Committee meeting concerns may again be voiced about the Hudson Police Department's participation in the Shared Services Response Team and about there being no police commissioner since Martha Harvey resigned almost a year ago. Both meetings take place at City Hall.

On Tuesday, July 24, there are three meetings taking place at almost the same time.

• At 5:30 p.m., the new Tourism Board meets at the FASNY Museum of Firefighting, 117 Harry Howard Avenue. The reason for this unusual meeting location is that Jamie Smith Quinn, the executive director of the museum, is one of the members of the Tourism Board. Those attending the meeting are asked to use the main museum entrance.
• At 6 p.m., the Hudson Development Corporation is holding its monthly meeting. Accused of operating with inadequate public input and no transparency, the HDC board is now scheduling its meetings for the early evening instead of at noon. At tomorrow's meeting, the last before the departure of HDC executive director Sheena Salvino, it is expected some plans for moving forward in her absence will be revealed, as well as new appointments to the board. In two executive sessions last week, the nominating committee interviewed potential candidates to replace the four board members who resigned in May. So far, Gossips has learned of one new appointment: Mark Morgan-Perez, who served on the Housing Task Force. The HDC meeting takes place at 1 North Front Street.  
• At 7:30 p.m., the Greenport Planning Board meets at Greenport Town Hall. The agenda for this meeting is not yet available, but Gossips has received word that the proposal by East Light Partners to install a solar array on land adjacent to the Hudson Correctional Facility will be on the agenda. There was concern that the array, to be located on what was identified in the Conservation Advisory Council's Open Space and Natural Resources Inventory as "farmland of statewide importance," would be visible from the Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Olana. Last week, East Light Partners held a public information session at the Hudson Area Library, which Gossips was unable to attend. I have been told by someone who did attend that the site plan has been altered to allay the concerns about visibility from these two National Historic Landmarks, but East Light Partners have not responded to requests for information about the new plans. It appears that showing up at the Greenport Planning Board meeting is the only way to learn what's being proposed.

 

On Wednesday, July 25, the Common Council Legal Committee holds its regular monthly meeting at City Hall. No agenda is available for this meeting. With the vacant building law awaiting the mayor's signature (the mayor will hold a public hearing on this law on Wednesday, August 1, at 3 p.m.) and the zoning amendment affecting R-2 and R-2H districts sought by Stewart's ripening on the aldermen's desks, it's not clear what the Legal Committee intends to tackle next. 

On Thursday, July 26, there are two meeting of the Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency.

• At 1 p.m., the HCDPA Board will hold its regular monthly meeting, rescheduled from July 12. This will be the last meeting before the departure of HCDPA executive director Sheena Salvino, and some information should be forthcoming about HCDPA's plans to move forward in the absence of an executive director.
• At 2 p.m., the HCDPA Board will hold a special meeting to open the sealed bids received for the strip of vacant land in the 200 block between Columbia Street and Prison Alley.

On Friday, July 27, the Historic Preservation Commission holds its second meeting of the month at 10 a.m. at City Hall. There is no agenda available as yet for this meeting, but the HPC may continue its review of the proposal to construct an accessory building on Partition Street behind 17-19 Union Street.

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This Week at the ZBA

Often the first information about new projects in Hudson, especially those not located in a historic district, comes at the Zoning Board of Appeals, and this past week's ZBA meeting provided news of a few interesting projects. The first is 514 State Street.

This building is one of the many buildings in Hudson that were part of Phil Gellert's vast "Northern Empire." In recent years, Gellert has been selling his property in Hudson, and this building now has a new owner. Kristal Heinz, who is representing the new owner, was at the ZBA meeting on Wednesday seeking an area variance for parking. The rehabbed building will have seven units--two on each of the three floors and one in the basement. The plans include creating three offstreet parking spaces behind the building. (Currently there are none.) Hudson's zoning requires one offstreet parking space for every dwelling unit, so the building is four short, and an area variance is required.

Heinz was also representing the owner of 248 and 250 Columbia Street at the meeting. 

What's being sought for this project is a lot line adjustment to make the two lots, which are now of different sizes, of equal size. Unfortunately, once the two lots are of equal size, the two houses now there, two among the very few on that block of Columbia Street that survived urban renewal, will be demolished.  

Two new structures will be built on the lots, both to contain rental apartments.

The third proposal of interest involves constructing a new building with a residential unit over a two-car garage in the first block of Partition Street, behind 17-19 Union Street. Variances are needed from the ZBA for setbacks and for lot coverage.

The project, which is also before the Historic Preservation Commission, once again puts the desire to build secondary dwellings in alleys and backyards to create affordable new housing in conflict with the desire to preserve the character of Hudson's alleys. (Although Partition Street is a street, it has the character of an alley.) The project as proposed also involves the elimination of an old stone retaining wall to create offstreet parking spaces and replacing it with a "veneered stone" retaining wall.

The ZBA will hold public hearings on these three projects, as well as a proposal to build an 8-foot fence at 939 Columbia Street and a proposal to construct a solar carport at 65-67 North Third Street, on Wednesday, August 15, at 6 p.m.
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Tomorrow Is Mrs. Greenthumbs Day

The Mrs. Greenthumbs Day Garden Tour happens tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.--rain or shine! There are twenty-one gardens on the tour this year. The map below is all you need to chart your course from garden to garden throughout the city.

You can click on the map to enlarge it and print your own copy. Or you can pick up a copy of the map at any of the following places:

• Nolita Café, 454 Warren Street
• The Secret Gardener, 250 Warren Street
• Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street
• Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street
• Pondside Nursery, 5918 Route 9G

Balloons mark the entrance to each garden.

The garden tour is free, but there will be an opportunity at each garden to show your appreciation by making a contribution to the Hudson Parks Conservancy. 

From 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, the Hudson Parks Conservancy is hosting a Parks Party at The Secret Gardener, 250 Warren Street. The party celebrates the launch of the Hudson Parks Conservancy, whose goal is to partner with the City of Hudson in maintaining and improving Hudson's parks, to ensure that these most democratic of spaces enrich the lives of all Hudsonians and are a source of community pride. Click here for more information about the Parks Party and to RSVP.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

SNAP and Farmers Markets: Crisis Averted

Photo: Amy Brown

Last week, Gossips reported that a change in a government contract would result in farmers markets, including the Hudson Farmers Market, not being able accept SNAP benefits after July 31. What happened was this. A not-for-profit called Farmers Market Coalition had been running the program that funds the equipment used at farmers markets to scan SNAP cards. Last November, the contract for this program was up for renewal, and the federal government chose a different contractor for this program, a group called Financial Transaction Management, LLC. The new contractor decided to replace the software vendor that processes SNAP benefits, Novo Dia, with its own provider, and as a consequence Novo Dia, unable to cover the costs of the software, announced it was going out of business. Its service to farmers markets would end on July 31. Without Novo Dia's technology, farmers markets could not accept SNAP benefits.

Yesterday, though, it was announced that the not-for-profit National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs would fund Novo Dia at least until the end of August. It is expected that the extension will allow time for a new system to be put in place so there will be no disruption in the ability to use SNAP benefits at farmers markets. Click here for more information.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK